Four Ingredient Vegan Rum Balls

RECIPE HAS NOW BEEN MOVED TO THE NEW BALLS, TARTS & BARS WEBSITE:

http://ballstartsandbars.com/vegan-gluten-free-four-ingredient-rum-balls/

Vegan Berry Pie Smoothie

It may be my birthday, however I wanted to give you all something today. 

This recipe came together completely on a whim yesterday morning. I needed to create a smoothie recipe for a competition, using the Fast & Fruity pouch, and I basically just took some of my favourite breakfast ingredients, and whatever was around the house and chucked it into the blender.

I knew this would taste good because the berry puree is beyond amazing, but magic was made in my blender. This delicious vegan smoothie tastes just like berry pie, but is completely guilt-free! 

Who needs fat-filled pastry or to spend hours in the kitchen baking when this quick and easy smoothie tastes like the real deal. 

Ingredients

120g Freshfields Be-licious Berry

3/4 Cup of Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/4 Cup of Oats

3 Ice Cubes

4-6 Drops of Now Foods French Vanilla Liquid Stevia

Directions

Chuck everything into a blender and pulse until smooth

Makes 1 serve

Macros

197 calories

5g protein

6g fat

36g carbs

19g sugar

6g fibre

This also tastes great with some cinnamon sprinkled on top

Tropical Coconut Slice [Vegan & Low Fat]

With several family birthdays in the month of February (mine included), I have been baking quite a bit these past few weeks. Rather than reverting back to family favourite  recipes, I wanted to make something tropical as we grasp onto the end of the Summer season here in Australia. 

My discovery of the preservative-free Fast & Fruity puree pouches is a huge time saver, with the fruity filling as simply as squeezing it out of the packaging. If you see them in the supermarket, I suggest buying one in every flavour - I highly recommend them.

Unlike the jam and coconut slice, I have reduced the amount of oat flour in order to create an even fluffier and moister base. The fruity filling flavour is absorbed into the base

The addition of the puffed corn has greatly reduced the fat content of the topping, all whilst adding more texture. If you're not a huge fan of coconut you could substitute more puffed corn in place of the coconut. 

One bite of this slice and your mouth will be watering for more, and you can because they're so low in calories!

Ingredients

3/4 Cup (75g) Oat Flour

6 tsp Orgran Egg Replacer

1/3 Cup of Water

60g Natvia or Norbu

250g Fast & Fruity Tropical Puree

15g Unsweetened Dessicated Coconut

14g Abundant Earth Puffed Corn

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius (fan-forced)

Take your desiccated coconut and puffed corn and pulse in a blender or food processor until crumbly, then set aside 

Whisk egg replacer and water until it is fluffy like egg whites

Add in the Natvia and whisk further until dissolved

Gently fold in the oat flour

Pour into a baking paper lined tray and spread out evenly

Place in the oven for 10 minutes and the base is slightly browned and firm

Spoon on the tropical fruit mixture again spreading it out evenly

Crumble over the coconut and puffed corn and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes

Allow to cool before cutting into squares

Store in the fridge in an air-tight container 

Makes 15 serves

Macros per serve

48 calories

0.8g protein

1.2g fat

7.8g carbs

2.4g sugar

1.3g fibre

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lamingtons [Vegan, Gluten & Sugar Free]

RECIPE HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE NEW WEBSITE:

http://theinkedvegan.com/low-fat-sugar-free-chocolate-peanut-butter-lamingtons/

My Vegan Oils of Choice for Stretched Ears

When you are stretching your ears, massaging your lobes with oil is essential in promoting blood flow and keeping them healthy and supple. The thought of using emu oil creeps me out, so I stick to two vegan oils: coconut and jojoba.

Coconut Oil can be used in place of olive oil, in many vegan chocolate desserts and, like with jojoba oil, for a variety of homemade beauty products. Simply Google these two oils and you'll be surprised how versatile they truly are. 

Most websites which specialise in jewellery for stretched ears sell jojoba oil. However, if you're frugal like I am, paying $5 for a tiny bottle (1 fluid ounce - 30ml) seems a tad steep. My beloved iHerb has come to be rescue on more than one occasion, and this situation is no different; they stock jojoba oil at a fraction of the price.

If you want to use the jojoba oil exclusively for your stretched ears, the Now Foods, Solutions, Jojoba Oil, 4 fl oz (118 ml) for $9.93 (or $11.46 for the organic version) is perfect. 

However, if you use jojoba for more than just your ears the Now Foods, Jojoba Oil, 16 fl oz gives you the best deal, at $27.53 for a whopping 473ml - a saving of $51 compared to buying equal amounts from a jewellery website. 

With coconut oil. you have quite a few options. Yes, buying in bulk is the best value for money, but depdning on your needs, the Cococare, 100% Coconut Oil, 4 oz (110 g) for $2.86 may be the better choice and will last for quite some time. 

For those of you who cook with coconut oil, a larger bottle is best, and simply cut out a chunk and keep in a separate container, to use only for your ears. My coconut oil of choice is Jarrow Formulas, Certified Organic Coconut Oil, 32 oz (908 g) for $14.35. 

If it's your first order at iHerb.com enter NDW884 at checkout, and to you Aussies, check out their shipping deal for September. 

Which oil do you prefer to use on your stretched ears?